Psalms 37:23
in Psalms 37The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
A man’s goings are established of Jehovah; And he delighteth in his way.
KJV
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
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This verse in Psalms 37
Commentary
3 notes on this verseon Psalms 37:23-24
(Verse 23.) The steps of a man are established by the Lord. The Greek word διαβήματα means 'steps' or 'transitions'. And therefore it is said to you: If you pass through water, rivers will not stop you (Isaiah 43:2). Therefore, cross over, do not hesitate; like a good traveler, when he comes to a sign on the road, he does not stop, but passes through; and you are on a journey, as long as you are in this course. If Paul had stopped, he would not have completed his race.
This site's exposition
The wicked borrow
on Psalms 37:21-26
The wicked borrow and leave the debt, and the righteous are gracious and giving. The LORD orders a man's steps and takes delight in the way he goes, and the hand holding him keeps a fall from throwing him down. The psalmist, grown old, had never seen the righteous abandoned.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. All his course of life is graciously ordained, and in lovingkindness all is fixed, settled, and maintained. No reckless fate, no fickle chance rules us; our every step is the subject of divine decree. He delighteth in his way. As parents are pleased with the tottering footsteps of their babes. All that concerns a saint is interesting to his heavenly Father. God loves to view the holy strivings of a soul pressing forward to the skies.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מֵ֭יְהוָה | meyahweh | from Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מִֽצְעֲדֵי־ | mitzadei- | [the] steps of | H4703 → | |
| גֶ֥בֶר | gever | a man | H1397 → | 65 times |
| כּוֹנָ֗נוּ | konanu | they are established | H3559 → | 217 times |
| וְדַרְכּ֥וֹ | vedarko | and way his | H1870 → | 707 times |
| יֶחְפָּֽץ׃ | yechpatz | he delights in | H2654 → | 74 times |
מֵ֭יְהוָהfrom Yahweh
meyahwehH3068 →6520 times
מִֽצְעֲדֵי־[the] steps of
mitzadei-H4703 →
גֶ֥בֶרa man
geverH1397 →65 times
כּוֹנָ֗נוּthey are established
konanuH3559 →217 times
וְדַרְכּ֥וֹand way his
vedarkoH1870 →707 times
יֶחְפָּֽץ׃he delights in
yechpatzH2654 →74 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 16:9A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
it leads to
- Proverbs 19:21
Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
- Proverbs 16:1
The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD.
- Proverbs 20:24
A man’s steps are from the LORD, so how can anyone understand his own way?
- Jeremiah 10:23
I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.
- Proverbs 21:30
There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
- Proverbs 19:21
Through
Psalms 40:2He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.
it leads to
- Psalms 119:133
Order my steps in Your word; let no sin rule over me.
- Psalms 27:5
For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock.
- Psalms 119:133
Through
Proverbs 4:26Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.
it leads to
- Hebrews 12:13
Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
- Hebrews 12:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.